Diversity Film Series

Transamerica

April 15, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

Bree is a perfectly adjusted conservative transsexual woman. Born Stanley, a genetic male, she's about to take the final step to becoming the woman Stanley always wanted to be - until she finds out that she is the parent of a long-lost 17 year-old son. Afraid to tell the rebellious teenager the truth, Bree embarks on a journey with thim that will challenge and change both their lives and bring them closer to the truth of their connection. Transamerica is a funny, touching, completely modern look at the modern American family, starring Emmy award winner Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers.

Regret to Inform

March 18, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

On her 24th birthday, Barbara Sonneborn heard the words "We regret to inform you...." Her husband had been killed in Vietnam. Twenty years later, Sonneborn journeyed through the country where he fought and died. This documentary captures her personal journey, and interviews with widows from both sides of the conflict who speak openly about the men they loved and how war changed their lives forever.

Hotel Rwanda

February 19, 2008
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

The true story of a hotel keeper who used his political position and quick wit to save 1,000+ lives during the genocidal violence that erupted in Rwanda between the Hutu and Tutsi groups in 1994.
Some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages. Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Control Room

November 13, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

"The military. The media. The war in Iraq. Who is making history?" In the early days of the war in Iraq, Americans could turn on their televisions twenty-four hours a day and take a front row seat with coalition troops careening across the desert. We could follow the action live as precision bombers brought Iraqi cities to their knees and American POWs were rescued and triumphantly returned home as television heroes. We could watch soldiers toppling statues of Saddam Hussein. But as Americans witnessed U.S. victory at home, a different story unfolded on television sets throughout the Arab world. Qatari-based Al-Jazeera broadcast images of Iraqi civilian casualties and American POWs that were taboo in the American media. Many claim that as a result, America barred Al-Jazeera journalists from reporting on Wall Street and bombed their headquarters in Baghdad. As the saying goes there are always two sides to every story, but in a media-managed war where does the truth lie? With exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Al-Jazeera, American journalists, and the players at Central Command, "Control Room" takes an unprecedented look at the business of war. Run Time: 1 hour 23 minutes. MPAA Rating: NR.

Whale Rider

October 16, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

"One young girl dared to confront the past, change the present and determine the future." "Whale Rider" is a contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny. Featuring Keisha Castle-Hughes. Run time: 101 minutes. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief language and a momentary drug reference.

Higher Learning

September 18, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

"Question The Knowledge." This John Singleton drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University in the mid-1990’s. Students from all different walks of life are strained to the breaking point by prejudice, inexperience, and misunderstanding as they encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the pressure to perform in the classroom, on the track, or in front of their friends. Ultimately leading each character to examine the meaning of an education on a university campus. Featuring Omar Epps, Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Rapaport. Run time: 127 minutes. MPAA Rating: R - Scenes of violence and sexuality, and for strong language.

Dawn Whited, Program Coordinator for the Intercultural Diversity Center, will facilitate a guided dialogue following the film.

Fall 2007 Selections

The Intercultural & Diversity Center (IDC) & the Professional Staff Senate (PSS) Diversity Committee are excited to offer another semester of the Diversity Film Series! This semester, we are screening three films highlighting diversity issues.

Immediately following the movie, a faculty/staff member will lead a group discussion examining the film and its themes.

Free Popcorn & Refreshments will be provided.

All films will be shown at:
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union
5:30pm - 7:30pm

The films & dates are:
"Higher Learning" - Tuesday, September 18, 2007
"Whale Rider" - Tuesday, October 16, 2007
"Control Room" - Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Two Women (Do zan)

April 24, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

This film charts the lives of two promising architecture students at a university in Tehran over the course of the first turbulent years fo the Islamic Republic. While one is able to find a good job and a happy marriage, the other is subjected to the most severe inequities of the male-dominated fundamentalist society. Government censors held up this script for 7 years, but the film became a major success and was a sensation when released in 1999 in Iran. Tahmineh Milani, who would late be imprisoned for the images in her films, wrote and directed this bold defiant picture, a revealing work about women's roles and lives in comtemporary Iran.

Nadia Shahram, an Adjunct Instructor for the UB Law School, will facilitate a guided dialogue following the film.

The Station Agent

March 27, 2007
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude in an old train depot, only to find himself reluctantly becoming enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors, especially Olivia, a 40 year old artist struggling with break up of her marriage, and Joe, a 30 year old relentlessly chatty food truck vendor. The Station Agent is about three people with nothing in common, except their shared solitude, until chance circumstances bring their live together. Before long, this mismatched threesome forges an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared. Featuring Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, and Michelle Williams.

Randy Borst, Director of UB's Disability Services, will be on hand to moderate a discussion following the film.

Spanglish

February 20, 2007
5:30 - 7:30pm
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union

A beautiful native Mexican woman becomes the housekeeper for the affluent, yet troubled, Clasky family. The result is a wittily perceptive collision of cultures and values, and a refreshingly honest look at such life-altering commitments as marriage, parenting, and devotion to family. The title refers both to the culture clash, and to the housekeeper's belated efforts to learn English, so as to better control the Claskys' influence on her daughter's life. A poignant comedy with a language all its own. Featuring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, & Cloris Leachman.

Dr. Mary Nell Trautner, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UB, will facilitate a guided dialogue following the film.

Spring 2007 Lineup

The Intercultural & Diversity Center (IDC) & the Professional Staff Senate (PSS) Diversity Committee are excited to offer the third semester of the Diversity Film Series! We are screening 3 more films this semester highlighting diversity issues.

Immediately following the movie, a faculty/staff member will lead a group discussion examining the film and its themes.

Free Popcorn & Refreshments will be provided.

All films will be shown at:
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union
5:30pm - 7:30pm

The films & dates are:
"Spanglish" - Tuesday, February 20, 2007
"The Station Agent" - Tuesday, March 27, 2007
"Two Women (Do zan)" - Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Monsoon Wedding

November 28, 2006
5:30 - 7:30pm
Intercultural Diversity Center
240 Student Union

An exuberant family drama set in Punjabi culture, where ancient tradition and dot-com modernity combine in unique and perfect harmony. As the romantic monsoon rains loom, the extended Verma family reunites from around the globe for a last-minute arranged marriage in New Delhi. "Monsoon Wedding" traces five intersecting stories, each navigating different aspects of love as they cross boundaries of class, continent, and morality. The film celebrates a contemporary India never before seen on screen. The film is filled with music, including ghazals (traditional love songs), modern Indian pop, jazz, bhangra (Punjabi folk/pop) and Bollywood music, all of which help to capture the varied and joyful sounds of a Punjabi wedding.

Rima Aranha, a doctoral student in the Social Foundations program in the Educational Leadership and Policy department, will facilitate a guided dialogue following the film.

We encourage you to use the comments section to discuss any subject related to the film.

Smoke Signals

October 24, 2006
5:30 - 7:30pm
Intercultural Diversity Center
240 Student Union

Critically acclaimed and a distinguished winner at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival! Set in Arizona, this is the story of two Native American boys on a journey. Victor is the stoic handsome son of an alcoholic father who has abandoned his family. Thomas is a gregarious goofy young man who lost both his parents in a fire at a very young age. When Victor's estranged father dies, the two men embark on an adventure to Phoenix to collect the ashes. You're in for a rare entertaining comic treat as this most unlikely pair leave home on what becomes an unexpectedly unforgettable adventure of friendship and discovery. "Smoke Signals" is the first movie to be written, directed, and co-produced by a Native American.

David Bray, Assistant Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity, & Affirmative Action Administration (EDAAA), will be facilitating our film discussion.

We encourage you to use the comments section to discuss any subject related to the film.

Entre Luz y Sol (Between Light & Sun)

September 26, 2006
5:30 - 7:30pm
Intercultural Diversity Center
240 Student Union

Young filmmakers, Clorinda Andrade and Kevin A. Lopez, UB alumna & graduate student, traveled to Cuba to explore one of its most apparent paradoxes, its tourism industry. Having traveled through the island for a month, both captured a more personal side of Cuba that many are never exposed to, a view of the country where Cubans are able to speak for themselves. Tourism has become the most important sector of the Cuban economy, and researchers predict that once it opens up to the U.S., one million visitors will arrive to the island. This film which was partly funded by the Miramax Minority Scholarship Fund, explores the current social effects of tourism on Cuban society.

The filmmaker & UB alumna, Clorinda Andrade, will be on hand to moderate a guided dialogue following the film.

We encourage you to use the comments section to discuss any subject related to the film.

Fall 2006 Diversity Film Series

The Intercultural & Diversity Center (IDC) & the Professional Staff Senate (PSS) Diversity Committee invite you to the Diversity Film Series. We are screening 3 films this semester highlighting diversity issues.

Immediately following the movie, a faculty/staff member will lead a group discussion examining the film and its themes.

Free Popcorn & Refreshments will be provided.

All films will be shown at:
Intercultural & Diversity Center
240 Student Union
5:30pm - 7:30pm

The films & dates are:
"Entre Luz y Sol (Between Light and Sun)" - Tuesday, September 26, 2006
"Smoke Signals" - Tuesday, October 24, 2006
"Monsoon Wedding" - Tuesday, November 28, 2006

A Day Without a Mexican

A Day Without a Mexican-Tuesday May 2nd, 2006 5:30pm
**NOTE: Location changed to the Student Union Theater**

*Our last film this semester!*

This comedy satire explores what would happen if every Mexican in California disappeared one day. This film highlights many social stereotypes that surround both the Hispanic and White races.

RJ Multari, the Director of Advising Services in the School of Architecture, facilitate the dialogue following the film.

Please feel free to use the comments section to discuss the themes in the film.

Better Than Chocolate

"Better Than Chocolate" - Tuesday, April 18th 5:30pm
**NOTE: Location changed to the Student Union Theater**

This comedy features two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, who meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced and decides to move to Vancouver and join the household. Soon after, Lila is befriended by Judy, a transsexual about to undergo a sex-change operation. Complications ensue as the conservative Lila learns the truth about Maggie, Judy, and their diverse group of friends.

Alicia Boisnier, an Assistant Professor of Organizational Business & Diversity in the Workplace will be facilitating our film discussion.

Please feel free to use the comments section to discuss the themes in the film.

Real Women Have Curves

"Real Women Have Curves" - Tuesday, March 21st, 2006

This dramatic comedy examines the personal trials of a first-generation Mexican-American teenager, struggling to understand her own identity while dealing with the demands of her family's traditional values.

Nichole Gardea, a counselor from Student Health & Wellness will facilitate the guided dialogue after the film.

Please feel free to use the comments section to discuss the themes in the film.

Film Change

Due to the unprecedented success of "Brokeback Mountain", we are unable to show this film this year. We are substituting "Better Than Chocolate" in its place on Tuesday, April 18th, 2006 at 5:30 pm.

For those who are still interested in seeing "Brokeback Mountain", we encourage you to contact SA Films. They will be screening "Brokeback Mountain" on April 12-14. See http://www.sa.buffalo.edu/Pages/Events/allfilms.html for more details.

CRASH

“Crash” - Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Set in present day Los Angeles, “Crash” delivers powerful performances that continually twist preconceived stereotypes of varied races & ethnicities up and down class lines.

Please feel free to use the comments section to discuss the themes in the film.